Guide means for freight-car doors and the like.



No. 839,721. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906. T. J. BRUCE.

GUIDBMEANS FOR FREIGHT GAR DOORS AND 'l Hl-l LIKE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.2, 1906.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1 No. 839,721. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906. T. J. BRUCE.

GUIDE MEANS FOR FREIGHT GAR DOORS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2 nnrrnn srn rns PAT-E T QFFTCE,

THOMAS J. BRUCE, OF CHELSEA, INDIAN "ERRITORY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- EIGHTH TO WILLIAM H. CLAlth, OF CHELSEA, INDIAN TElilil'lORY.

GUID E MEANS FOR FREiGHT-CA R DOORS AND THE LAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1 906.

Application filed August 2,1906 Serial No. 328,943.

To CLZZ whom it ntrty concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. BRUCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chelsea, in the county of Tama, Indian 'lerritory, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guide Means for Freight-Doors or the Like, of which the following is a specification.

' The object of this invention is to provide novel guide mountings or parts particularly designed to be applied to freight-cars for dirooting the doors thereof in the movement of the latter and for substantially attaching said doors to the cars. However, it will be obvious that the invention is applicable .to doors of any sliding type upon reference to the detail description hereinafter set forth.

F or a full understandiw of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction ol the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a erspective view showing a side oi a car an the door mounted thereon in accordance with the invention. Fig. i3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line X X of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on the line Y Y of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the uppermost guide members of the door. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the lowermost guide members of the door.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

in the drawings, the numeral I designates the sup ort to which the door 2 is attached or on which it is mounted for edgewise movement, and this support may represent the side of the freight-car. The door 1 is of the usual form, adapted to be moved back and forth in opening and closing the same and v embodying any suitable lock means forholding it closed. Secured to the upper edge portion of the door is a plate 3, longitudinally of which is formed a guide-tongue 4.

Pendent longitudinal edge-flanges 5 extend downwardly from the late 3, and transversely-disposed fastemngs 6 pass through the door, connect the flanges 5, and rigidly securethe guide member 3 to the door in an obvious manner. The guide tongue 4 is tached to the support 1 above the door and which consists of a plate having spaced flanges S projecting downwardly therefrom to receive tncrebetween the tongue 4.

It will be understood that the guide 7 affords a secure bearing for the tongue i at the upper portion of the door and the tongue 4 is freely'movable longitudinally in said guide 7. Projecting upwardly from the, guide 7 are a suitable number of l. l'&(7l ZOl;iUgS 9, which are lirmly secured to the su .iport 1 by suitable fastenings 10. The braciet-lugs 9 are of course integral with the guides 7'.

The mounting parts at the lower edge portion of the door, which receive the weight of the door mainly, are of somewhat dill'erent form than those heretofore described, though the guide member 3 is substantially the same as the guide which is secured to the top edge ol' the door. The tongue 4 of the guide 3* at the lower edge of the door, however, has a bearing in a guide-I1, which is socured to the support 1 below the door 2. The guide I]. consists of a hollow body open at its upper portion and embodying the spaced sides 12, between which is received the tongue 4. The lower edge of the tongue 4 is concaved transversely, so as to receive the up per portions of ball-bearings 13, which are mounted in the body of the guide 11, said body being of somewhat circular form in crcsssecl'ion in order to conform with the shape of the ball-bearings 13 somewhat, so that he but or will travel snugly in the guide 11. The ball-bcarings 13 are arranged at suilablc intervals in the length of the guide 11, and a dozen or more of the balls are located at such intervals. In the length of theguide 11 the body of said guide is formed with pari IE ions 14, which separate the sets of ball-bearings, as will be evident by reference to Fig. 3 oi the drawizi's. The door 2 of course travels smoothly on the bal -bearings 13 and may be opened Willi considerable ease for obvious reasons. Opposite end por- Lions of the upper guide 7 and the lower guide ii are c osed, as shown at 15 and 16, respectively. The guides 7 and 11 are preferably twice as long as the guides which are attached to the door, by reason of the length of travel of the door necessitated by its opening and closing movement.

Suitable bracket-lugs 9" are also projected downwardly from the guide 1 1 in order to seoure the same firmly to the support 1.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In combination with a suitable support, a door mounted thereon, guide means at the upper portion of the door, guide meansat the lower portion of the door embodying a guidetongue rojecting from this portion of the door an suitably secured thereto, a guide secured to the support below the lower end of the door and consisting of a-hollow body, receiving the tongue attached to the lowerextremity of the door, means securing said lower guide to the support, and ball-bearings mounted therein.

2. In combination, a support, a door mounted for edgewise movement thereon, guide means at the upper end of the door,

guide means at the lower end of the door emedge portion of said door,'a lower guide attached to the support belowthe doorand re ceiving the tongue aforesaid, said lowerguide comprising a hollow body closed at its end portions and embodying sides embracing the sides of the tongue on opposite sides, the

lower guide being divided partitions into a numberof ball-bearing seats, and ball o'ear ingsin'contaetwith the lower edge ofthe tongue and mounted in the several'seats at intervals in the length of the lower guide in i the manner specified;

In testimony whereof I'afiix in presence of two witnesses;

THOMAS J; BRUCE. [L. 8.]

Witnesses I JOHN TJEZZARD, WVILLIAM H. CLARK. 

